Bascule bridge



Aug- 13, 1935. H. BRElTwn-:SER 2,01,467

BAscULE BRIDGE Filedv Oct. 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l All A'TORN EY Aug. 13, 1935- H. BRElTwlEsr-:R 2,011,467

BASCULE BRIDGE Filed Oct. 20, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 13, '1935 time? rarest OFFICE BASCULE BRIDGE Heinrich Breitwieser, Griesheim, near Darmstadt, Y

Germany, assigner to Maschinenfabrik Aiugs burg-Nuernberg A. G., linremberg,v Germany, a corporation of Germany Application October 20, 1933, Serial No. 694,392

n Germany October 15, 1932 4 Claims.

My invention relates to operating means for basculebridges and equivalent swinging structures, and has4 generally in view top-rovide an operating means which may, at comparatively the advantages of a crankactuator respecting slow initiation of movement of the bridge toward open and closed positions and gradual reduction of the speed of the bridge as it approaches said positions; and which includes rack bar guide means having portions which, respectively, are disposed in alinement withand substantially at right angles to the push-pull rod when the bridge is in open and closed positions, whereby the bridge is securely held in such positions.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in'the novel combination and arrangement of features as will be hereinafter mo-re fully described, illustrated in the accompanying draw'- ings and dened in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a bascule bridge illustrating'the present operating means applied thereto.

Figures 2 and 3 are cross sections on the lines 2-2 and 3-3, respectively, of' Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail View illustrating a slight modification of thestructure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a View similar to Figure 1 illustrating an alternative embodiment of the invention; and

Figures S and 7 are cross sections 0n the lines 5 5 and 'L -1, respectively, of Figure 5.

Referring first to the Figures 1 to 3 embodiment of the invention, lo designates, generally, a bascule bridge of a known type having at one end thereof a sector II to be rolled upon a surface x 'to effect swinging movement of the bridge between vraised or open and lowered or closed positions.

Pivotally connected at one end to the bridge, as at I2, coaxially with the axis of curvature of the sector II, isa push-pull rod I3 which,'at its other end, is pivotally connected, as at I4, to a rack bar I5 preferably at a point midway, or approximately midway, between the ends of said rack bar. comprising a plurality of links I5 pivotally con-V` The rack bar is of the flexible type nected together in .end to end relationship, and on some or all of the pivot pins which connect said links are mounted rollers I6 which travell in channel-like guide members I'I. l

The guide members I7 are disposed below the surface :r and may very readily, cheaply and easily be mounted' firmly and solidly in the ground by means of concrete foundations or 'in any other suitable manner. Generally, they arehori- Zontally disposed. They are, however, ofstepped formation to provide relatively short inclined portions i8 and i9 which, respectively, are disposedl so aste aline with andextend at substantially right angles to the push-pull rod I3 when the bridge is in open and closed positions. Consequentiy, when the bridge is closed or open, any forces transmitted through therod I3 are firmly resisted, by said guide portions I8, ISI andthe bridge is held solidly in said positions. Moreover, because of the inclination oi theportions I8,` i9 relative to the horizontal portions of `the guide members Il, the bridge swinging movement imparted to .the rod I3 by shifting of the rack bar I5 along said guide members obviouse ly is such as to slowly initiate opening and closing movements. of the bridge and ,gradually rto reduce the speed of the bridge as itapproachesY open and closed positions. As shown,.ea`ch guide. member i1 comprisesfa medialV portion and a pair of end portions one of which latter extends above and beyond one end of the medial portion, and is connected'therewith by the inclined portion I8, and the other ofv which extends below and beyond the other end of said medial portion and is connected therewith by the inclined portion I9. ,Thereby as distinguished fromra known construction involving the use oi guide members of generallyl S-shape in which the end portions are turned b'ackwardly upon the medial portion above and below the latter, instead of' being extended beyond the ends of the medial portion as inthe present case, the present guide' members are, comparatively, of vmateriallyvless over-all height or depth and therefore may be mounted in the ground below and directly ad jacent to the surface on which the sector I I rolls without extending deeply into the ground; whereas, to mount guide members of the known type mentioned in the ground would mean that the lower portions of the guide members necessarily would be deep-ly disposed where troubles would be encountered in many instances with underground water. Because of the comparatively shallow depth of the present guide members, such troubles are substantially eliminated.

The rack bar I5 is driven by a sprocket wheel 20 which may derive its power from an electric motor 2|, as shown, or from any other suitable source. In this connection, a feature of the` in- In the Figures 1 to V3 form of therinventionk it will be noted that the push-pull rod I3 is pivotally connected with the rack bar l5 Vcoaxially Ywith one of the roller rcarrying pivot pins which connects adjacent mediallinks of therackfbar.

'Forces thus are transmitted from the rod I3 to the guide member or members II only through the roller or rollers Vwhich is or are mounted on t said pivot pin. However; as illustrated in Fig- Y ure 4, the rod I3 may be connected with' the rack bar I5 at a point between the ends of one ofv the medial rack bar links. For example, a plate -22may be secured to a medial linkand the rod may be .pivoted to said plate as KVshown, in which event forces are transmitted from the rod I3 to the guide member or members I'I through the rollers at both ends of said link. Y l

1 It is notessential that thek rack bar I5 be of the flexible type illustrated in Figures 1 to 4. On the contrary, a rigid rack bar may be 'em-V ployed as illustrated in Figures Y5 to?.

to one end of therigid rack bar I5a and the bar is provided only at said end with a roller or rollersA lapreferably coaxial with the pivotal con`- Y nection of the push-pull rod with the rack bar' and operating in a guide member or members IIo which to'all intents and purposes may duplicate the'guidememberspreviously described. At' a vpointspaced beyond the'inclined portion ia, vof vthe'guidermember IIa the'rackV bar is guided for movement in a suitable guide 23 and at this pointis located the'raekV driving' sprocket wheel 20a. Y y f i In each of the Vforms of the`inventi'on there maybe employed only a single push-pull rod I3V i and'associated rackbar and guide means therefor, or twopr more'push-pull rodsrand associated rack bars and guide means therefor may be provided at' points spaced transversely of the bridge. Moreover, while the` drawings illustrate that the rack bar in each instance has associat-V ed therewith two guide members I 'I, one to either i side of the rack bar, this is'4 not essential since, obviously,V only a single guide member may be employedin conneetionwith any given rack From the foregoing description Vconsidered in connection with theV drawings it isV believed that the construction, operationand advantages of the invention will be clearly understood.y It is pointed out, however, that the invention maybe embodied in various structures Yother than those In that event, the'pushspull rod is pivotally connected thereof.

illustrated within thespirit and scope thereof as rack bar to which said operating rod Vispivotally connected at its other end, a guide member for Y* saidV rackfbar Ycomprising a medial portion and a pair of end portions one of which latter extends above andbeyond one end of the medial portion and the other of which extends below and beyond the other end'of said medial VVportion, said medial and end portions being Vsubstantially horizontally disposed, and portions inclined to Y the horizontal connecting said end portions with said medial portion and disposed, respective1y,in alinement Awith andat substantially'right angles to the push-pull rod when the bridge is in kopen and closed positions,4 said guide means being mounted in` the Vground below and 'directly Vadjacent to the surface on which the bridger sector is rollable whereby forces imposed on lsaid guide means by the push-pull operatingrodjare transmittedl to the ground, and means to drive said rackV bar. v 4

'2. The combination Vas set forth in claim 1 in which the rack bar' is rigid and in which the push-pull operating rod is connected to one end thereof. Y

3. In combination with 'a swinging bridge of the bascule type,` apuSh-pulloperating rodpivotally connected at one endto the bridge,`a rack bar to Which said operating rod is'pivotally'c'onnected at its other end, a guide memberv for. said rack bar comprising a medial portion and a pair of end portions one of which4 latter'` extends above and beyond one'endof themedialportion andV the otherof which extends. below and beyondthe other endof saidfmedial portion; said medial and end portions being substantially horizontally disposed', and portions'inclined to the horizontal connecting said lend portions with said medial portion and disposed, respectively, in. alinement with and atV substantially right angles to the pushpullrod when thebridge is in openand'closed positions;r saidV guide means being mounted in the ground below and directly adjacent to the road surface ofy which the ybridge when lowered forms a continuation, whereby forces imposed on said guide means bythe push-pull operating rod are transmitted to the ground, and means to drive said rack bar. p 1 v I 4. The combination, as Vset'lorth in claim Sin which the rack bar' is rigid and in which the push-pull operating rod is connected to one end HINRICH BREITwnesirR. 

